JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – In honor of Missouri’s fallen law enforcement officers, Governor Mike Parson has ordered the Missouri State Capitol dome and Missouri Law Enforcement Memorial to be lit blue from sunset on Friday, May 3, 2024, until sunrise on Saturday, May 4, 2024.
“We owe a tremendous debt to the officers who made the ultimate sacrifice while enforcing the law and answering the call to service,” Governor Parson said. “Each year, we hold these ceremonies to remember and honor those who lost their lives in service to our state. We are proud to light the Capitol Dome and Missouri Law Enforcement Memorial blue, as we stand alongside the families and colleagues of our fallen heroes to express our gratitude for their selfless service to our state.”
The annual ceremonies honoring fallen Missouri law enforcement officers will be held at the Missouri Law Enforcement Memorial on the grounds of the Capitol overlooking the Missouri River.
The 2024 Candlelight Vigil will be held on May 3 at 8 p.m., and the Memorial Service will take place at 10 a.m. on May 4.
“Each year, as we honor our fallen comrades, they and their heroic deeds are indelibly connected to the more than 700 officers whose names have already been enshrined on the Law Enforcement Memorial’s Wall of Honor,” Missouri Department of Public Safety Director Sandy Karsten said. “Their service is now part of Missouri’s law enforcement legacy of valor and selfless service that extends back to 1836.”
The names of three law enforcement and corrections officers who died in the line of duty in 2023 and one officer who died in 2021 have been added to the memorial’s Wall of Honor in advance of this year’s ceremonies.